Moscow police raided a self-styled “kissing party” at a nightclub in the eastern part of the Russian capital early on Sunday morning, in the latest instance of the authorities cracking down on what they deem to be “non-traditional” events, Telegram channel Baza has reported.
According to Baza, the police claimed that the raid was drug-related, though officers reportedly singled out party-goers with an “unusual appearance”, with one attendee having his pink belt taken away for “looking too unmanly”.
Kremlin-aligned channel REN TV said that the grounds for the raid had been suspected breaches of Russia’s law against “LGBT propaganda” among club-goers, though this has not been confirmed by any official sources.
The venue, Graphite, hosted a party organised by Kissbarclub, which describes itself as “a dating club that organises lively parties to help people meet in a pleasant atmosphere”, encouraging party-goers to kiss strangers at so-called “kissing parties”.
Footage shared by Baza and REN-TV showed revellers being placed faced down on the floor, with police holding people in the club for up to four hours. The organisers reportedly face misdemeanour charges for holding a mass event without notifying the authorities.
Moscow’s once world-famous nightlife scene has changed dramatically in the past few years amid an increase in police raids on “non-traditional venues” and the growing persecution of queer people since Russia’s Supreme Court outlawed the “international LGBT movement” in 2023.
Armed police have been known to terrify revellers, forcing them to lie face down on the floor, sometimes for hours at a time, and even beating and humiliating party-goers while checking their documents and phones.